Augusta Regional Airport soaring with $3 million grant, Masters plans, upcoming changes

Augusta Regional Airport offers thousands of flights each year, and the amount of passenger and planes really soar just before, during, and after the Masters tournament.

In order to meet those needs, the south Augusta airport is continuing to grow in size and services. On Monday, it was announced that Augusta Regional is the recipient of a $3 million grant from the Airport Terminal Program.

Airport Executive Director Herbert Judon Jr. recently discussed how the airport will spend the money, details on other changes passengers can expect in the near future, plus a look at Masters preparations.

How will the $3 million ATP grant be used?

The grant will partially fund a project to rehabilitate the facility; specifically stretching the terminal area by about 2,000 square feet to make room for passenger-boarding bridges.

"When our building was built about 15 years ago, the way it was configured is that the middle gates (Gates 3 and 4) had walk-down ramps to walk outside and get on the airplane because, at the time, some of the airlines had aircraft in their fleet that you couldn't actually pull a boarding bridge up to," Judon said.

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But times change, and the airport is looking to change with them. Once completed, those ramps will be gone and passengers will board and depart planes via the bridges, which Judon said will improve security and make boarding and departing easier for disabled individuals.

Currently, there are two gates with boarding bridges. In order to equip Gates 3 and 4, the Augusta Commission recently approved purchasing two additional bridges for $3 million.

Judon said, during construction, they may have to reroute people slightly as they get onto their planes. But he expects minimal disruptions and there will be a wall to separate passengers from the construction.

Are there any new or changing flights?

Augusta Regional is currently flying to-and-from Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. But that changes quite a bit as Masters guests come to town, with new non-stop flights being added to-and-from Boston, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, and many more places. Much larger airplanes are also available during this time.

"One of the things that we consistently try to promote every year is that this is an opportunity for our local passengers as well to get out of town and go to these places non-stop that they typically don't have the opportunity to do," Judon said.

This year's Masters runs April 6-9.

How is Augusta Regional preparing for the Masters?

The workforce sees a huge boost in personnel during Masters Week in order to meet the needs in concessions, custodial work, ground transportation and other services.

Judon could not give any specific names, but confirmed that they fly everyone from world leaders and politicians to some of the biggest names in sports and on the screen. He described all of the preparations and operations that go into Masters Week as "stressful but enjoyable."

What other changes are coming to Augusta Regional?

Judon said he could go on-and-on about the exciting things they have coming down the runway, but highlighted just a few:

A consolidated rental car facility is under construction. The first phase is a service facility across the street from the airport for companies to stage and maintain their vehicles. This is expected to be finished by the spring. The second phase will be a reconfiguration of the rental car services offered at the terminal to customers. That will take off in the next year or two.

New car and aircraft charging station will be inaugurated in the next 30 days. The chargers will offer universal service for all electric vehicles. There will be a fee associated with charging, but Judon could not immediately give a price.

Pavement is being added to the airfield in order to build out the infrastructure and potential for future business.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta Regional Airport director on $3 million grant, coming changes